Zombie of the Month: Undead Legionnaires

   Okay, up until now, I’ve been buying general zombies strictly designed to increase my horde. Most of them aren’t even associated with a specific game. But the REASON I chose zombies for my wargaming collection is that there are so many games for which “zombie” is an appropriate figure type for at least part of one army’s forces, so there’s always somewhere to stick them on the table. But just because we have endless substitutions doesn’t mean we shouldn’t also have a game’s official minis for the purpose. And so, since I (obviously) play the Dark Legion when we play Warzone: Resurrection, I have some delightful zombies for you this month carrying guns that are way too big for dead, mindless things to be lugging around:

The Zombie of the Month- May 2014- Undead Legionnaires by Prodos Games

   What’s so great about these Zombies? Zombies are extras. There are tons of them. Tons. So, frankly, if there is not a lot of detail on them, no one cares. Does that stop Prodos? Oh, no. They gave these guys some love, even though they are the lowliest force in the Dark Legion. Sure, they were economical about it (there’s some lower body repetition), but they have some nice armor and bandages and stuff that makes them look just a little more special than your average extras. Oh yeah, and guns. Not pistols. Guns. The kind that take two hands to operate. Though one questions the practicality of giving mindless zombies weapons with moving parts. Hey, you get enough of them, some are bound to hit, right? Anyway, yeah, just a little more special than the average mass-produced zombies in your horde, these will likely stand out even if you put them together with your teeming masses of undead.

And now, the beloved basics:

            Scale- 32mm, a.k.a. 1:48 scale, a.k.a. O gauge, in case you’re making a Warzone table and want to supplement with train parts. They fit just fine in most 28mm environments, too, if you are doing substitutions either direction. Actual heights range from 32mm to 35mm, since zombies don’t always have good posture (another plus- love the awkward poses).

            Genre- Sci-fi, which is to say, depending on context and how you paint them, can pass for anything from modern (if slightly exotic looking) to futuristic, and mostly looking like they belong to someone’s military.

Material- Prodos resin.No, really. They have their own breed of resin. It’s light blue, and somewhat pliable. Need to paint the torso, but that gun’s in the way? Eh, just pull it out of the way- it’ll spring back when you’re done. And it’s very durable. Occasionally Prodos gets a little ambitious and makes 1/32 inch weapon protrusions that can break off, but mostly this stuff is really sturdy.

Parts ‘N’ Bits- There are no extra bits or anything with these guys, unless for some reason you
choose not to use the shoulder pads or guns and save them for something else, since they come unattached. The sprues they come on look a bit unusual, as they are just the top of the pour molds. Occasionally something breaks off the sprue, so be careful taking them out of the bag. On the plus side, it really reduces mold lines!

Assembly- Everyone I’ve talked to says it takes a little practice to get used to assembling the new Prodos stuff. And with 6 parts per figure (legs, torso, arm, arm, head, gun), it is worth noting that you might have to spend a little more time than usual on assembly. And remember to wash the models first- there's a little bit of mold release on them when they arrive, and it could mess up your paint if don't pre-wash them.

Bases- They come with round, lipped 30mm bases, so if you are getting them to play Warzone, you are all set. They are pictured here on a combination of Forest Floor and Bayou bases from Fire Bucket Games, because I happen to like pre-sculpted bases.

Ratings:

Sculpt- 4 brains out of 5. As I said, these guys have a lot of detail and character for lowlie zombies. As if they were designed to be a major unit in the army. But then again, since Warzone was originally being designed as a much smaller scale game, they probably were. Fine with me, I get better zombies out of it. The only reason this is not a 5 is because I think they made some bad decisions in what they chose to repeat on these models. Every single one of them has a belt that sits higher than the top of their pants. Sure, maybe someone in the army doesn’t use belt loops, but Undead Legionnaires happen when dead guys from an opposing army are raised as undead and forced into servitude. Everybody in every army fails to hold up their pants properly? And guys, if you are going to only use two or three lower body designs for a whole unit type, don’t have all three of them be “one shoe guy.” That starts to look silly after a while. I think I’m going to do a few boot conversions before I paint the next batch.

Affordability- 3 brains out of 5- These guys will run you £12.99 (about $21.81 US) for a pack of 5, including their cards for game play. That’s about $4.36 per zombie. Not a great price for horde building, but perfectly fair as individuals in a unit. Don’t forget to factor in shipping (UK). Unless, of course, you just want to buy your whole Dark Legion army at once. If you hit £90, they’ll throw in the shipping for free.

Value- 4 brains out of 5- As I said, the price point is not exactly commensurate with building large hordes, and there are only 5 sculpts. But with a little conversion work, the sculpts are very versatile, and since you could get away with them in most modern and futuristic settings, they could easily sneak their way onto almost any gaming table. And since the Prodos resin is very durable, they are great for traveling. That clumsy guy at the shop that no one wants to play with because he drops their models and then accidentally steps on them and crushes them might knock them off the base, might even scuff up the paint, but they’ll live (or, rather, unlive?)

Availability- 3 brains out of 5- Prodos is really just starting to take flight, so right now they are really only available on the Prodos website, which is not a problem unless the company abruptly disappears. They are part of the new Warzone: Resurrection line, though, so the models are current and should stick around for a while, barring any corporate catastrophes.

Pros: Really nice, sturdy, versatile models with good costume design and big guns.

Cons: Not cheap or plentiful enough to make a large contribution to a horde, and not something you’re going to see popping up rampantly at discount/resale sites any time soon.